The Glycemic Index

You will be eating carbs on the Abs on the Go diet, you will just be eating fewer of them and you will be eating the right ones at the right times. That’'s the real key, and you need to know what the right carbs actually are.

In the early 1980s a man named Dr. David Jenkins was studying carbohydrates and the affect they had on blood sugar levels. What he found out was astounding. No longer were there just simple carbs and complex carbs. He found out that not all carbs affected the blood in the same way and there were “"good”" carbs and “"bad”" carbs. Some of the complex carbs actually shot the blood sugar level higher than the simple carbs. The result of his work is the Glycemic Index or GI.

The GI measures the impact of the different carbs on blood sugar levels and every carb is measured against pure glucose, which has a value of 100 on the GI. The lower the GI, the better the carb is for your body. Basically, the lower the GI, the less of an impact the carb has on your blood sugar level and the more stable your insulin levels are.

On the GI:

  • Low = 0-55

  • Moderate = 56-69

  • High = 70-100

An example of a good (low GI) carbohydrate choice would be a vegetable or fruit, an example of a moderate carbohydrate choice would be sweet potatoes or brown rice, and an example of a bad (high GI) carbohydrate choice would be chocolate, candy, bread, muffin, and many more.

When on a lower-carb diet, it is important to get all of your vitamins and minerals by taking a daily multivitamin as well as a greens supplement. It is just as important to not forget to get enough fiber and water. If you fail to get enough of either you will feel the effects dramatically.

On the carb-loading portion of the Abs on the Go diet, it is wise to stick to low GI foods. If you are thinking, “"Oh no, not another thing to monitor,”" then I would like to put your mind at ease. At first, you might have to refer to a chart of GI values, but you will also have favourite foods that you will tend to eat more often and you will find that you will easily memorize the GI values of these foods.

It is also important to note that, if you do decide to eat a moderate or even a high-GI carb, if you eat it with fat, the fat will act to lower the GI value of the carb. This can come in handy when you are eating out. For example, when eating a peanut butter sandwich, the fat in the peanut butter lowers the GI value of the overall meal that would have been quite high with bread alone. Brilliant!

Of course, having said this, the best rule of thumb is to stick with the low-GI carbs whenever possible. This is the safest way to eat carbs so that your blood sugar levels remain in the balance and your insulin levels remain steady.